Changing the way graphical user interface components of a computer system are displayed provides computer system users with a more visually exciting experience. This modification of the appearance of user interface components is commonly referred to as skinning.
Conventional skinning techniques, however, have various shortcomings. For instance, conventional skinning techniques typically define hard coded finite sets of controls in which the executable code that displays user interface components is intertwined with the data that specifies how the components should be displayed. This often leads to compatibility and performance problems between user applications and a computer's operating system. Further, modification of the appearance of system components undesirably requires modification of executable code.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved techniques for facilitating modification of the visual appearance of user interface components.